About Our Church

Proud of its connection with the ancient Church of Antioch, St. George's adheres faithfully to the teachings of Orthodox Christianity taught by the apostles and their successors. The original members of the parish came to Kearney from Lebanon and Syria between 1889 and 1903, and their first priest, Father Nicola Yanney, was ordained in 1904 to serve as St. George's pastor and the pastor of all the territory between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains. Father Yanney was the first priest ordained in the United States for the Antiochian archdiocese. He was the first priest ordained by ST. RAPHAEL Hawaweeny of Brooklyn.

In 1985 an extensive building project was completed giving the parish much needed Sunday School space and additional living space for the parish home. The interior and exterior of the church were completely refinished in 1991. Many beautiful new furnishings for the interior of the church are constantly being contributed by generous benefactors.

The congregation of St. George today includes many descendants of the original Syrian and Lebanese parishioners; some of the present parishioners are descendants of the first priest, Father Yanney. Other families from Lebanon and Syria have settled in the area and have been most supportive and active in the life of the parish. Several families of Greek ancestry have become members of the parish, so it can be said that two of the great centers of Orthodoxy in the ancient world - Antioch and Constantinople - have combined to present to the Kearney area the traditional witness which Orthodox Christianity has preserved down through the ages. Having reached out in Christian love to Nebraskans of western origin, the Orthodox people of St. George have found new members seeking to practice the Orthodox Christian faith from practically all ancestral backgrounds. The present priest is the Rev. Christopher Morris.


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